Alcoholic gastritis happens when drinking alcohol too often or too much, or living with alcohol use disorder , irritates or wears away your stomach lining. You can take steps to lower your risk, and doctors can offer treatments to ease some symptoms such as stomach pain and nausea. But if heavy drinking is the cause, cutting back on or quitting alcohol will be your main treatment.
Causes of Alcoholic Gastritis
There's no exact amount of alcohol that causes alcoholic gastritis, but heavy drinking does raise your risk. Doctors generally define heavy drinking as having more than three drinks a day (or eight or more per week) for women and more than four a day (or 15 or more per week) for men. Even one episode of binge drinking — four or more drinks for women and five or more for men — can irritate your stomach.
If you choose to drink and don't have gastritis or another condition that needs you to avoid alcohol (such as liver disease or diabetes), drinking in moderation may help reduce your risk of alcohol-related stomach problems. That means no more than one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men. But generally, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans say that drinking less is better for your health.
Gastritis can also have other causes unrelated to alcohol. These include:
- Smoking
- Autoimmune diseases, in which your immune system attacks your stomach lining, such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, type 1 diabetes, pernicious anemia, or Addison's disease
- Bacterial or viral infections
- Stress (if stress hormones raise your stomach acid and damage the stomach's lining)
- Reactions to surgery
Even if you have gastritis from another cause, drinking alcohol can make it worse.
Alcoholic Gastritis Symptoms
Alcoholic gastritis feels a lot like gastritis from other causes. But many people don't realize they have it, or they may mistake it for indigestion.
If you get gastritis, some signs and symptoms you may have include:
- A gnawing or burning ache in your stomach that may get better or worse after you eat
- Pain in your upper belly
- Belching and hiccupping
- Feeling bloated or having a full feeling in your stomach that gets worse if you eat
- Nausea and vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Anemia (Gastritis can cause stomach ulcers that bleed, leading to too few red blood cells. This can make you feel very tired and short of breath, especially when you exercise.)
- Blood in your poop or vomit, which may come from bleeding in the stomach lining
Other conditions can also cause these symptoms, so check with a doctor for a diagnosis and treatment.
Diagnosing Alcoholic Gastritis
Your doctor will give you a physical exam and ask about your health history and personal habits, including how much and how often you drink. That information may be enough for your doctor to diagnose alcoholic gastritis. But you may need to take these tests:
Breath test. This checks for bacteria that cause gastritis. You drink a special clear liquid and then blow into a bag. The bag is quickly sealed and tested. That reveals if the bacteria broke down the liquid in your stomach.
X-ray. This looks at your upper gastrointestinal (GI) system, which includes the esophagus (the tube leading from your throat to the stomach), stomach, and duodenum (the upper part of your small intestine). You first need to drink a liquid called barium, which helps show details on the X-ray.
Upper endoscopy. The doctor uses an endoscope, which is a thin, lighted tube with a camera at one end. The doctor guides it down your throat to check your esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. They can also use the endoscope to remove some tissue for lab tests.
Blood tests. These look for bacteria that cause gastritis and for signs of anemia.
Stool test. This checks your poop for bacteria that can cause gastritis or for blood, which could mean your stomach or intestine lining is bleeding.
Your history and test results help your doctor see if you have gastritis and whether alcohol is a cause. Then your doctor can recommend a treatment plan for gastritis or any other condition you may be having.
Alcoholic Gastritis Treatments
Quitting or cutting back on alcohol is the best way to help your stomach heal. Standard gastritis treatments may make you feel better in the short term, but they won't work well or last if you keep drinking alcohol. If you live with alcohol use disorder, you can get confidential support and information on treatment by calling SAMHSA's National Helpline 24/7 at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Other gastritis treatments may include:
- Antibiotics, which treat gastritis caused by a bacterial infection
- Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which lower how much acid your stomach makes so the lining can heal
- Antacids, which reduce stomach acid to ease symptoms
Probiotics may also help the growth of good gut bacteria, though there isn't enough evidence to show they can treat gastritis directly.
Risks of Alcoholic Gastritis: Short-Term vs. Long-Term Complications
Untreated alcoholic gastritis puts you at risk for serious complications, especially if your inflammation lasts a long time. The longer this lasts, the higher the risk. The following charts break down gastritis complications into those you can get in the short-term and those that may happen in the longer term, with the signs of each.
Short-term complications
| Risk | Causes and Signs |
|---|---|
| Irritated, inflamed stomach lining | Alcohol quickly burns and irritates the stomach lining, making it red, swollen, and sore. This can cause:
|
| Stomach bleeding | The injured lining can start to bleed. This can cause:
|
Long-term complications
| Risk | Causes and Signs |
|---|---|
| Peptic ulcers | Ulcers are painful sores in your upper digestive tract. Ongoing damage lets these deeper sores form in the stomach or the first part of the small intestine. This can cause:
|
| Iron deficiency anemia (low iron and low red blood cells) | You may have small amounts of bleeding from the damaged lining or ulcers, again and again. This slowly drains the body’s iron and red blood cells. This can cause:
|
| Trouble absorbing vitamin B12 | Long‑term damage and thinning of the stomach lining can make it harder to take in vitamin B12 from food. This can cause:
|
| Stomach growths and cancer | Long-term irritation and healing can lead to polyps, which are clumps of cells on your stomach lining. In some people, irritation can also raise the chance of stomach cancer such as adenocarcinoma. These often develop slowly and may not show clear signs at first. When signs show up, they include:
|
Some symptoms can mean your stomach is bleeding or that another condition is developing. Call your doctor right away if you have blood in your poop or vomit, dark or tarry-looking poop, extreme weakness, or unexplained weight loss.
Alcoholic Gastritis vs. Ulcers vs. Acid Reflux
You may have heard gastritis grouped together with ulcers and acid reflux. They are related and share some symptoms, but they're not the same thing. Here's what they mean:
Gastritis. Irritation of your stomach lining
Ulcers.Deep sores in your stomach or upper gut
Acid reflux. When stomach acid flows back into your esophagus (the tube that carries food to your stomach)
How they're different
All three involve stomach acid, which is why these conditions are easy to mix up. With gastritis, acid worsens the inflammation in your stomach lining, sometimes causing shallow sores or bleeding. With ulcers, acid eats through the lining and creates a deeper, open sore that can hurt more and may bleed. With acid reflux, the muscle between your throat and stomach doesn't close properly, so acid moves back up into your esophagus. That backflow causes heartburn, which can happen with gastritis or on its own, such as with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Ulcers can develop when gastritis goes untreated, but they can be caused by an H. pylori infection or pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin).
How they're treated
Doctors treat ulcers by lowering your stomach acid so your ulcer can heal. They do this usually with acid-reducing medicines such as PPIs or antacids, plus antibiotics if an H. pylori infection is the cause. You can manage reflux or GERD with lifestyle changes such as eating smaller meals and by using the same acid-reducing medicines when needed.
Gastritis usually improves once you remove the cause. With alcoholic gastritis, that means cutting back on or quitting drinking. If it's led to ulcers or reflux, treating those can ease symptoms. But relief won't last unless you also address the underlying alcohol use.
Dietary Changes and Lifestyle Recovery Habits
When you have alcoholic gastritis, the most important step is to stop drinking alcohol and allow your stomach lining to repair itself. Without doing this, your gastritis won't get better in the long term. While you work on limiting or stopping alcohol, you can also avoid or limit other things that can irritate your stomach more and make your gastritis worse. They include:
- Smoking
- Pain relievers such as aspirin and ibuprofen (unless your doctor tells you to take them)
- Coffee and other caffeinated drinks
- Acidic drinks, such as orange and tomato juices
- Carbonated drinks
- Fatty or fried foods
Instead, try to eat smaller meals more often. Choose foods that are easier on your stomach, such as cooked vegetables, low-acid fruits such as bananas, whole grains, and lean protein such as chicken, fish, beans, or eggs. If you can tolerate low-fat dairy, yogurt or kefir may help as well.
It's important to eat regularly, but do so slowly, and chew your food well. Keep your head elevated while you sleep to help lower your symptoms at night. Work on managing stress with regular exercise (such as simple daily walks) and stretching, and speak with a counselor to support your mental health. Take any medications for your stomach that your doctor prescribes.
Takeaways
Frequent alcohol use can irritate and damage your stomach lining over time, which can cause gastritis. This is an inflammation of your stomach lining that can be more serious than temporary indigestion. The main way to treat alcoholic gastritis is to lower or quit alcohol use. At the same time, you can also take other steps to help your stomach heal. This includes making healthy lifestyle changes such as:
- Avoiding spicy foods and acidic drinks such as orange juice
- Quitting smoking
- Avoiding pain relievers such as aspirin
- Eating smaller meals
These actions can help your stomach recover and lower your risk of long-term problems such as ulcers. If you are seeking help for an alcohol use disorder, talk to your doctor about treatment options. For support with alcohol use disorder, call the SAMHSA National Helpline 24/7 at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Alcoholic Gastritis FAQs
How long does alcoholic gastritis take to heal?
Alcoholic gastritis may improve within a few days or about a week if you stop drinking and avoid other irritants. But more severe or long-lasting (chronic) cases may take several weeks to months to fully heal, even after you stop drinking.
Can alcoholic gastritis go away on its own if I stop drinking?
If your alcoholic gastritis is mild, your stomach lining may start to heal once you stop drinking alcohol and avoid other things that irritate your stomach. But you should still see your doctor to make sure you don't develop more problems such as ulcers or bleeding. Make sure to see your doctor right away if your symptoms are serious or last for more than a week.
What food or drinks should I avoid if I have alcoholic gastritis?
Generally, outside of limiting alcohol use, it's a good idea to avoid smoking, spicy foods, acidic or carbonated beverages (such as coffee, orange and tomato juices, and sodas), and fatty or fried foods.
Can alcoholic gastritis become serious or lead to major complications?
Alcoholic gastritis can become serious and may lead to more problems such as ulcers, anemia, gastric polyps, and, in some cases, cancer.
